Wheelchair Accessible Van for the Hamblens

Chris and Kelli Hamblen adopted Artem (10) and Sofia (5) from Ukraine in November 2021.

Artem has diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He was severely malnourished at the time of adoption and, once stateside, was in the hospital for almost four weeks. Over the past year, he has gained nearly 13 pounds! He is beginning to crawl on his belly and use switches to communicate and participate in his special education classroom at school. Artem is such a joyful little boy!

Sofia has diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. When she first arrived stateside, Sofia struggled to adjust to her new environment and screamed/cried for several hours per day. She has also come so far over the past year! She has learned that there's safety and comfort in the consistency of family and is now thriving in her home environment. She attends a regular kindergarten classroom with assistance from a personal care assistant and special education services. Sofia is working on learning English as well as colors, numbers, shapes, and letters.

Both Artem and Sofia are in specially designed wheelchairs. The Hamblen's current van, which is almost 20 years old and has almost 200,000 miles, is not wheelchair accessible. This means Artem and Sofia have to be removed from their wheelchairs, put into car seats, and their wheelchairs have to be folded up and lifted into the back of the van. This process has to be repeated at every destination and can take 10-15 minutes each time. The wheelchairs are also VERY heavy (50+ pounds) and difficult to lift into the back of the van. The Hamblens need a fifteen-passenger van that can be modified to accommodate loading and transporting Artem and Sofia in their wheelchairs while also having space for their three other children.

Pre-owned passenger vans cost around $40,000. Can you help Chris and Kelli purchase a van?